Why Is Radon Dangerous?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General's Office have
urged widespread testing for radon. After smoking, radon is the nation’s second
leading cause of lung cancer. As many as 36,000 lung cancer deaths are
attributed to radon each year. EPA studies indicate that millions of American
homes have levels at or above 4 pCi/L, the EPA's recommended action level for
radon exposure.
In a home with radon levels at or above 4 pCi/l, a typical family is exposed to
approximately 35 TIMES AS MUCH radiation as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
allows at the perimeter of a radioactive waste site. Most EPA lifetime safety
standards for carcinogens are established based on a 1 in 100,000 risk of death.
Most scientists agree that the lifetime risk of death from exposure to radon at
4 pCi/l is approximately 1 in 100. This radon level carries approximately 1,000
times the risk of death as any other EPA carcinogen!
Radon's primary hazard comes from the atmospheric release of radon-222, released
by the decay of uranium-238 present in soil and rock. This process yields
radioactive decay products (polonium, lead, and bismuth) that rapidly attach to
airborne materials, such as dust, which facilitate inhalation. These alpha
particles may lodge in the delicate cells of the mucus membranes lining the
lung, potentially causing lung cancer.
Radon, a colorless, chemically unreactive, inert gas, is the densest gas known.
The gas and its highly radioactive metallic daughter products emit alpha and
beta particles and gamma rays. The alpha radiation emitted by radon is the exact
same alpha radiation that is emitted by any other alpha generating radiation
source, like plutonium.
Radon reaches dangerous levels in buildings due to a “stack effect” vacuum
caused by warmer indoor temperatures drawing radon in through a building’s
foundation. Because it is a single atom gas, radon moves easily through ground
soil and building foundations and common building materials such as sheetrock,
concrete block, mortar, tar paper, wood paneling, and most insulation. Radon's
extended half-life (about a month) provides ample time for the gas to migrate
into a building’s indoor air where it decays into the harmful radioactive heavy
metals discussed earlier. This gas and the resulting metallic particles move
quickly through a building, contaminating the air. Almost nothing will stop this
gas from moving from the basement to other parts of a house if it makes its way
into the basement in the first place.
If you are looking for a Denver radon contractor to help you with this or any other remodeling project, please call us today at 303-915-5011 or complete our service request form. |
